My translation of an excerpt from Henrik Nordbrandt, Håndens Skælven i November (The tremble of the hand in November)

Now, one may have all kinds of associations about how Henrik may have felt when writing this.

Especially knowing that in our part of the world, November is the month when the trees have lost their leaves, the daylight is waning and the weather is mostly chilly and wet. A month to sit out, while waiting for the Thanksgiving and/or the Christmas holidays.

However, from a leadership perspective, one might choose to look at November as just the perfect time to exercise exceptional, conscientious, everyday leadership.

What is so special about November?

Well, in most organisations, the fiscal year is well under way, and leaders are beginning to have good estimates of the period’s results. However, the year-end closure/new budget launch frenzy still lies a few months ahead of us.

What better time could you possibly think of to invest in everyday leadership?

You could make it your goal for the month of November to notice the leadership opportunities as they show up on your radar.

Maybe you will pick up some snippy exchange between someone on your staff and a colleague when you pass by the coffee machine. Maybe you have noticed that knowledge sharing among your teams is working so well, that a compliment is appropriate. Or maybe it is obvious from last month’s results that in order to meet the period’s goals, something has to change.

Then decide the kind of approach you want to apply to intervene. Is there a new procedure you want to launch? Someone on your staff who needs your coaching? Or somebody who needs to adjust his/her behaviour?

This is the simplicity and the complexity nature of exceptional, conscientious everyday leadership.

The simplicity, because it really is that simple. As leaders, all you really have to do is to turn on our radars, notice the leadership opportunities and act on them with purpose and intentionality. This is the way to shoulder both your job and your staff’s recognition of your leadership role.

The complexity, because the leadership opportunities are many and diverse, and if you do not catch the leadership opportunities – you have lost them. Moreover, if you drop too many balls your very credibility as a leader is at stake.